YSL Gloss Volupte Summer 2015 - Orange Sagatte & Bordeaux Sarouel

Looking at the two new colors of gloss from YSL for Summer immediately made me think of bronzed skin, sunshine and strappy sandals to go with these bright lips.

These are two pretty shades from the Marrakech inspired Les Sahariennes collection  and the tangerine /peach of Orange Sagatte is especially a favorite. For me, it's basically a color I wear anytime and all the time.  It's not super bright but not pale , having a medium peach/orange color with slight gold shimmer.

The other shade, Bordeaux Sarouel is a muted red, with hints of burgundy and one I can actually wear. I have a hard time with reds but this works with my coloring and I like it.  I have so few reds in lip repertoire, so it's nice to have one that will be wearable basically all year . Yes it'll look great in Summer but also now and in Fall through Winter.

Both of these are very shiny , non sticky glosses. They have medium coverage and pigment with a fruity scent.

If you're looking for a new lip color for Spring & Summer fun, you won't go wrong with these.

Available soon at Sephora, Nordstrom and more for $32 each.

Olay Regenerist Luminous Overnight Mask

Overnight sleep in masks are definitely  a trend, one we've picked up from Asia.   It's solid idea- sleep and moisturize/treat/plump skin while you catch your zzzzzs. And you don't peel these off. They absorb into skin and then you wash in the morning.

Earlier this year Olay brought out  Regenerist Luminous Overnight Mask .This, like most sleep ins, is a gel formula. It's has a waterlight feel that sinks in fast and feels refreshing on . There is a light herbal scent.

The mask has light moisture and after using in the AM my skin looked smooth , plumped a bit and was well hydrated enough. I have combo skin though. If you have dry to extra dry skin it might not quite enough moisture for you.

The tub size is large at 4.5 oz and since you don't need a lot , it will last long. I can see this being a nice after sun product in Summer  as well.

Ingredients include Niacinamide  which helps skin retain moisture and soothes inflammation. Mulberry Root Extract for brightening, Glycerin for hydration and Vitamin E for an antioxidant boost.

Olay Regenerist Luminous Overnight Mask is sugg. retail $25.99

Clinique Bonus Time at Macy's w/ Lulu DK

It's Clinique Bonus time again at Macy's. Their collab with designer Lulu DK brings a tropical look  to the GWP bag , perfect for all your Summer fun needs. 

The GWP comes with any $ 27 Clinique purchase  and includes:

• Exclusive cosmetics bag and mini clutch designed by Lulu
• Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+
• High Impact Mascara in Black
• Your choice of Pinks or Nudes:
• Pinks Option: Eye Shadow and Blush compact in Pinks & Duel Ended Different Lipstick in Raspberry Glace and Long Last Glosswear in Kissy Fit
• Nudes Option: Eye Shadow and Blush compact in Nudes & Duel Ended Different Lipstick in Tenderheart and Long Last Glosswear in Sunset

Bella By Vince Camuto

The late , great designer Vince Camuto's name continues on in the fashion and beauty worlds .  Bella, the new fragrance is a ray of sunshine and warmth.

Bella is a sunny floral loaded up with nectarine blossom and peach nectar  ( but it's not too sweet),  the white floral of jasmine and a touch of citrus with bergamot and lemon.  Light musk, blonde woods and white amber anchor the drydown.

 It is very much a fragrance that brings to mind Spring and  even more so, Summer.  It's not too light but not strong and has good sillage. A little sexy and feminine,  it makes me think of shorts , sandals and beach towels.

The bottle is the  brand's signature look with a peach ribbon accent.

Bella Vince Camuto is $78 for 3.4 oz EDP.

Dove Go Fresh Revitalize -Mandarin & Tiare Flower

Have you sprang into Spring yet? Dove's new super sunny citrus scent, Mandarin & Tiare Flower will take you there.

I am big fan of Dove's body washes. This winter my skin stayed  really soft and moisturized mainly thanks to two products, one being my Dove Deep Moisture Nutrium body wash.  I didn't need to use lotion every day but when I needed a boost the other big help was The Body Shop Body Butters.  I'll keep it going with this new scent and since my old one is almost empty , it's good timing .

Mandarin & Tiare smells wonderful . It's soft and doesn't linger long but is a nice citrus-y ( and you know I love my citrus)  fragrance. The mix of mandarin & tiare is a good one , it's  more orange than tiare to my nose with just a touch of the tropical flower.

Both body wash and soap are available now  .

Dove Go Fresh Revitalize Mandarin &  Tiare Body Wash is sugg. retail $ 6.99
Dove Go Fresh Revitalize Mandarin & Tiare Twin Pack Beauty Bar is sugg. retail $ 3.79

Tommy Bahama Island Life

The idea of  island life sounds good doesn't it ? Even for me, someone who doesn't mind cold temps at all, when I visit a tropical area, I have that thought of what would it be like to live here ?

That's the spirit of the new fragrance from Tommy Bahama, Island Life. We might not be living that island life exactly, but you can at least say your fragrance channels it.

Island Life is a sunny, sparkling scent  with  pear and mandarin at the beginning, the citrus being the most prominent then  the florals move in with notes of white rose, peony and peach blossom.  I don't get a lot of rose here  but lots of the  peach blossom and peony. It's a  pretty combo . The drydown brings just a hint of woods and spice. Very barely there are  sandalwood and musk along with vanilla bean and the touch of citrus and floral still lingering.

This is a warm, sunlit scent that is easy to wear anytime and especially now through Summer.  It isn't overly strong nor is it a skinscent and it has good sillage .

Full note list:
Top- pear, mandarin, star anise
Mid- white rose, peony, peach blossom
Drydown-vanilla bean, sandalwood, musk


Tommy Bahama Island Life is $60 for 1.7 oz EDT and $ 78 for 3.4 oz EDT.

Available at  Macys, Belks, Dillards  and  www.tommybahama.com 

Venus Swirl Razor & Touch Of Olay Violet Swirl Shave Gel

There's a new shave in town. Venus has a new Flexiball rollerball  razor that glides and pivots over your legs , underarms etc.


Men have had pivoting razors for a long time but us gals have had to wait. Not anymore. This new razor works to get  a close shave  without irritation and when you go around ankles and over knees it goes where you want it with ease .

I used this both with the also new Olay Violet Swirl shave cream (  a light violet scented shave gel, what's not to like ?) and without. Both ways gave me that close shave with no skipping, pulling or my legs feeling dry .

It has moisture bars like most razors  that have according to the package " Moisture Glide Serum" in them and there are 5 contour blades .

With spring on the way this week and warmer weather on the horizon,  it will be time to bare legs soon enough, treat yourself to a new improved shave for the season. Not going to lie, I like that purple colored handle too.

Venus Swirl Razor  is $ 8.99 ( varies )
Venus & Olay Violet Swirl Shave Gel is $ 3.49 ( varies).

YSL Black Opium

YSL's newest fragrance is Black Opium. It's a dark name , true, but the original Opium in 1977 was no shrinking violet .  It was one of those fragrances that we can now truly call iconic.

Now we have Black Opium , a coffee tinged floral that comes  in a bottle that sparkles , all black iridescence and feels like a flask in your hand.

The big note to note  here is coffee accord, and YSL  says that it is used here in the highest concentration yet in a  female fragrance . At the early stages of the scent you get a good whiff of that , not at first but soon after first spritz. It then gets stronger but never espresso strong and mixes with the pepper for spiciness. As the fragrance dries down it becomes more floral and has a tinge of sweetness. The jasmine and orange blossom are very present  making Black Opium more of a floral than you might expect.

As it dries down all the way the patchouli note comes in adding that sweetness with a hint of smoke.

YSL brought in not one or two, but  four stars of the perfume world to create this new scent- Nathalie Lorsen, Olivier Cresp, Maria Salamagne and Honorine Blanc . All bring their own way to the table and focused on a single area , for instance Blanc  looked for light working with the white florals in the composition.

While I think anyone looking for a strong coffee based fragrance may not go for this, I think it's very pretty  and wearable. It has just a little edge  and hey I am for edge in a scent, but pretty with a light edge can work too. It's an EDP   and wear fairly close to the skin. Sillage is medium.

Notes include : coffee extract, pink pepper, orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli and cedar.

Prices -
.03 oz $ 25
1.0 oz  $ 67
1.7  oz $ 90
3.0 oz $ 115

YSL Black Opium is exclusive to Sephora , and YSLbeauty.com

Orly & Disney Frozen Color Pop Nails -Spring 2015

Still feeling Frozen ? For all the fans in your life , Orly has a new Color Pop collection exclusively at Walgreens.

There are 12 shades at $ 6.99 each or a kit of four colors for $ 10.99. Can you say perfect Easter basket stuffer ?

Throughout the year in May, July September and November Orly & Disney will be releasing a new Color Pop collection as well.

Aussie Total Miracle 7 N1 Shampoo/Conditioner/Dry Shampoo

You hear about the "purple pill " all the time on TV right ? How about soothing your hair with the purple bottle ? Aussie's newest does it all for your hair , with Total Miracle 7N1  , and there's a Dry Shampoo too, for touch ups.

7 N1 is a conditioning shampoo for hair that helps to strengthen hair, reduce damage and split ends , add moisture , humidity control while also smoothing  and adding shine.

The shampoo does a nice job of all of the above.  It cleans, conditions and softens without weighing down or making hair feel over conditioned.  The conditioner adds another level of smoothing and moisture but again hair doesn't end up limp .

Ingredients include aloe vera leaf extract and jojoba seed oil in both shampoo and conditioner. They are not sulfate free.

There is also a new matching Dry Shampoo for touch ups, 2nd or 3rd day hair. It's tapioca based to absorb oil and has a matte finish.

The full Aussie Total Miracle 7N1 line is available now .

Shampoo and conditioner are $ 2.97 for 12.1 oz bottle, and Dry Shampoo is $ 4.99.

Vaseline Intensive Care Healing Serum

I think a new trend is coming, serums for body . While they've previously been more high end/niche like ones from Duchess Marden and more recently L'Occitane, body serums go mainstream with Vaseline's newest, Healing Serum. Personally I love this idea .

Serums for body are not quite like ones for face but there are similarities.  They are thinner than  cream or lotion but not as thin as most facial ones .

Vaseline's  falls into that description. It's not thin but not as thick as a  balm and has micro droplets of Vaseline Jelly. It comes in just less than what a lotion might be. It applies smoothly and quickly, gliding on skin , needing little time to sink in. It  hydrates well  and feels good on . 

There are three types , I have Advanced Relief. This one has a soft floral scent with hints of amber and is for extra dry skin. I like the moisture level with this. It's really good, but it works so quickly you can use it day or night. 

Vaseline Healing Serum also comes in Radiance Restore and Deep Repair. Retail is $ 7.99 and they are on shelves now. 

New York Fashion Week Fall 2015- Trend Alert

Gabriella Hearst

 With Spring on the horizon,  let's look at what we might be wearing come next Autumn. Last month New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 went down and there were a few  trends including a '70s throwback.

Polo Ralph Lauren

What most caught my eye? A return to real American Sportswear. This is a look of subtle wealth. Elegant , feminine but not uber trendy , frou frou or  a slave to a trends. Real wealth wears clothes like this not labels or logos head to toe. It evokes an elegant , rich look without talking too loud.

Gabriella Hearst

It's a nice pushback against all the dressing down and the athleisure trend, yoga wear for everywhere basically, that is even more dressed down.

Michael Kors

The master of this look is of course Michael Kors along with Ralph Lauren but this season many more designers showed the look including Gabriella Hearst, Sally La Pointe, Jason Wu, Elie Tahari and Wes Gordon.

Michael Kors

Wes Gordon

Get ready , too, for the strong return of deep olive green , along with tweeds, and fur both real and faux.

Michael Kors

Jason Wu

Jason Wu

Elie Tahari

Algenist Repairing Tint & Radiance Moisturizer

Algenist makes some great skincare , now they have their first tinted moisturizer. Repairing Tint & Radiance Moisturizer combines skincare , tint and SPF in one.

This a thicker cream , not thin or liquid . The coverage is light  but definitely there. It  perfects and smoothes . It makes a great base or you can wear it alone. There are three shades light , light/ medium and medium. None are overly dark and all blend well.

Medium, Light

This has a light feel on skin, even though it is not oil free , there is no greasy feel. It has just enough moisture , you'll need a moisturizer if you have normal to dry skin, anyone slightly oily or combo can use it  on it's own, which is how I've been using it.

Algenist says this will , over time, help to even skin tone in 10 days. I've gotten to three so far. The formula has the brand's Micro Algae Oil  in it .

The SPF is 30 both chemical and physical with titanium dioxide at 2.46 %.

I like much of Algenist's line, and this is no exception.  The texture, coverage and lightweightness make it great for any skin type , including those of us who are a little oily. If you're looking for a new TM to try and with Spring coming, get your SPF on, this is one to try.

Algenist Repairing Tint & Radiance Moisturizer is $ 42 at  Sephora , QVC , Ulta and www.algenist.com